Something Worth Tripping Over
by SpoiledLiLAmy
Summary: Max is captured by Manticore and forced to participate in a game of sorts. The prize for the winner..... they get to live.
1. The Beginging

TITLE: Something Worth Tripping Over  
RATING: R  
PAIRING: Max/Alec of course!  
DEDICATION: To the 2 guys who keep me from loosing faith in the entire male species (non-family guys of course)! Doug (the rogue male princess) and Chris (the lacrosse star!) Who actually put up with me everyday. They deserve something 4 that lol.  
DISCLAIMER: The characters belong 2 James Cameron, Fox, etc etc etc not 2 me   
AN: This is loosely base on The Most Dangerous Game, a short story I read in the 7th grade and just stuck.  
AN2: This is not necessarily run by White but more like a group of Manticore employees who White may be included in.  
  
~~~  
_If you want me to fall for you give me something worth tripping over_  
~~~  
  
Max groaned as she waded in that halfway point between consciousness and sleep. She had to struggle to open her heavy eyelids and flex her stiff muscles. She had no idea how long she had been asleep. One minute she was walking out of Crash with Original Cindy the next she was waking from a drug induced sleep on the floor of an alien room lacking most of her clothes.   
  
She sat up and blearily scanned the room. It was four steel walls and a steel floor and ceiling. It wasn't very large, only about 6 by 10 feet with no furniture. She was wearing her only her underwear, her outer layers and bra having been removed at some point. She gave the room a second quick scan and noticed a bundle situated in the far corner of the room. Hopefully clothes she thought as she padded over to it.  
  
Sure enough the package contained a pair of blue army fatigues and a matching blue sports bra. She stared at the outfit with a mixture of apprehension and dread Defiantly Manticore-like.   
  
She slipped on the clothes and caught a manila envelope as it fell from the pile. Max broke the seal and dumped the contents onto the cold steel floor. A small gun and a sheet of expensive stationary. Max eyed the gun suspiciously and picked up the letter, beginning to read.  
  
_Dear X5,  
I'm sure you've figured out who we are by now and you're probably wondering why you're not dead yet. We've decided to handle things a bit differently. Rather than just executing you we propose a game. A game of our own devising. You're currently on a remote island with no chance of escape. You could, of course, chance a dip in the surrounding ocean but we assure you that you will not survive. On this island with you are 29 other X5s in holding pens identical to yours. What once were friends, family, or lovers are now enemies. Your opponents in our little game. You must be the first to reach the safe house on this island. You will be watched at all times by motion sensitive cameras positioned around the island. They track your barcodes, which is also the reason for the female's new haircuts.   
You want to live be ready to put personal ties behind you and fight for your life. Along with your fellow players there are several loose nomalies who know nothing beyond killing. Pray you don't run into them.  
Take the gun and be ready to use it. Trust us, you'll have to. Those are the rules, the terms, and the instructions to the game. There's a 3% chance you'll walk away from this. Don't try and there's a 100% fatality rate. Don't want to play? You've got a gun. End it now. Otherwise….. Welcome to the game.  
~ Manticore_   
  
Max's hand shot up to her hair and she fingered the ragged ends, which now hung, down to her chin. She reread the letter, crumpled it, and threw it at the wall in disgust. A game. It wasn't a game at all. It was a sick attempt to make their work easier. Instead of killing us they set us against each other. Relieves some of the guilt if they are indeed human enough to feel an emotion like that. Max grabbed the gun and shoved it in the waistband of her pants so it rested against the small of her back. She began to run her fingers around the steel walls searching for the hidden lever that would release her from her steel prison. She found it and pressed it in, half expecting the door to fall open to reveal a crowded lab or dirty Seattle Street, the letter being their sick version of a joke. She was stunned to be faced by a forest of lush tropical plants.  
  
So it was true. She stepped out into the humid tall grass that surrounded her "holding pen." The island's hot, humid air slammed into her and she felt beads of water begin to form droplets on her exposed skin. I'll give it a 3 star rating. She thought, swatting at some foreign insect that was buzzing around her head. Points off for bird sized bugs and lack of proper facilities.   
  
Max wrinkled her nose and started through the thick foliage in search of the "safe house." As if anything associated with Manticore was ever safe or good. Several hours worth of walking got her nowhere but tired, bruised, and bored. She was relieved when she finally stumbled out of the forest. She stared out at the rocky cliffs and miles more of jungle that stretched before her. She had envisioned the island as being rather small and had expected the "game" to last no more than a day. But it now looked like the challenge could last for weeks. She sucked in her cheeks, suppressing the urge to scream. She rolled her neck slowly wincing as it cracked loudly. She looked around at the rock ledge she was standing on and decided that it was as good a place as any to wait out the night.   
  
She settled down on the stone, which was becoming quickly cold in the dying light, and heaved a sigh. The full impact of her situation had not quite struck her, the severity of the situation. She was sure that when it did she would be in the troughs of an all out mental breakdown and that would not increase her chances of getting off this island alive.   
  
A twig snapping broke her out of her reverie and put her on the alert. She remained motionless, straining her ears to listen for further sounds. Some soft shuffling behind her told her that someone was on the rock and quickly approaching her. She leapt up and had them pinned to the ground with in seconds. Her stalker's head connected with the rock drawing a few droplets of blood and knocking him unconscious. Her, she corrected studying the girl's face in the pale moonlight as she checked her pulse. The girl's short blonde hair was fanned out around her, the end's as ragged as Max's own.   
  
Sleep was obviously not an option. Dropping off for one minute could be the one-minute someone was watching. Someone who didn't just want you unconscious. Max stretched and strolled along the edge of the ledge, shivering slightly in the drastically cooler night air. The bra and pants were not nearly enough.   
  
A hand suddenly clamped down over her mouth stifling her startled cry. She had not heard this one approaching. She twisted her neck so she could see her attacker but their face was concealed in the shadows. She could see the dark outline raise a finger to its lips. Max nodded and the hand fell from her mouth, the muzzle of a gun pressed threateningly against her ribs. Max stared at the shadow her eye's becoming gradually accustomed to the dark. She recognized the large blue eyes and soft blonde hair and a gasp escaped her. She had fantasized running into one of her friends but never him. Not here. He had skipped Crash that night and she hadn't expected them to hit his house.  
"Alec?"   
  
~~~  
Review!!!!!!!!! Review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Review!!!!!!!!!! And I'll post more l8er. I have to watch X-Files!  
~~~  
  



	2. Question Everything

TITLE: Something To Trip Over

RATING: R

PAIRING: Max/Alec of course!

AN: This is loosely base on The Most Dangerous Game, a short story I read in the 7th grade and just stuck.

AN2: This is set sometime around the beginning of s2 probably shortly after Proof of Purchase so Max still thinks Alec is evil, corrupt, etc etc etc 

AN3: Sorry all my stories haven't been updated in a while…. I've been having back pains; doctor says scoliosis resulting in multiple x-rays resulting in a trip 2 a specialist which is so not fun. They gave me 1 of those paper robes but the second the doctor comes in it's RIP there goes the robe… he rips it right off me! I'm like whoa there Sparky maybe I wanna keep the robe ON! So I have to stand there in bra in panties for an hour bending this way n that and turns out I have 1 leg that's longer than the other. And to keep me from becoming a hunchback when I'm old and wrinkly I have to wear this silicone thing in my shoe that makes me feel lopsided and I sorta walk funny now. The logic there is a little screwed I think… I walk like a loser now when I actually look good just so that I'm not a hunchback when all my hair has fallen out and I look like shit anyways. :oP Only in America lol.

~~~

Everything exists between black and white

You can twist and distort the most blatant of lies

Or just offer up solutions

Practiced only in your mind

I've lost half of my life to wisdom

So forgive me if I come off sounding bitter

If my words push you away

If I seem surprised to see you

Lying here in front of me

Just consider what you asking

And give me a little time

Cause I'm still having trouble breathing 

For in all these days 

I've never seen you cry

~Question Everything~ 8stops7~

~~~

"Alec?" 

Her attacker backed up the gun clattering to the ground. His legs banged into a rock and his knees buckled sending him the way of his gun. 

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, trying his hardest to maintain an air of dominance while sprawled on the ground.

"It's me," Max replied holding her hand out for him.

"Max?" Alec asked, wrapping his fingers around her wrist as she heaved him to his feet.

"Live and in person," Max replied with a small smile, "Enjoying your tropical vacation so far?"

"Loving it," Alec drawled and Max had to study him for several seconds to make sure he was, in fact, being sarcastic. Alec walked over to retrieve his gun from the clump of bushes it had skidded behind, "But then of course I have nothing to compare it to so I could be having a crappy time without knowing it."

"I'd say your logic's a little screwed there but I get what you're saying," Max replied "How exactly did you get here?"

"Honestly I have no idea," Alec admitted, scratching his head with the tip of the gun.

"That's a bit dangerous," Max said, gesturing towards the gun.

"Unlike you I'm well aware of how to use a gun Maxie," Alec snapped, shoving the gun into the waistband of his pants with more force than seemed required, "You and your cronies skipped out on the rest of us remember?"

"I'm sensing bitterness," Max drawled.

"Not bitterness… pity," Alec retorted, beginning to walk off into the surrounding wooded area.

Max stood watching his retreating back for several seconds before giving chase, "What the hell do you mean by that?" she shouted, grabbing his shoulder, forcing him to face her.

"I mean that you're not going to survive a day out here," he explained, jerking away from her touch.

"Oh and why's that?"

"Because you missed years of training. You are up against experienced soldiers and you're going to be crushed."

Max gazed at Alec in wonder, "How can you say that? I've kicked your ass time and time again!"

"I think you're forgetting something Maxie," Alec said. Max saw a blur of movement and felt Alec behind her, one arm hooked around her neck holding her still, the other pressing the gun into her back, "There's something to settle the score now," he said, his voice a near purr, "You may have the upper hand in hand to hand combat but stack that up against my gun and you haven't got a chance."

Max braced herself and leaned over, flipping Alec over her back and onto the ground in front of her. She grabbed the gun and trained it on him before he could recover from the fall. She expected fear or at least surprise on Alec's face and was startled to see him laughing, "Shoot me Max," he chuckled, "Go ahead and shoot me."

Max held the gun steady aiming directly at his head but couldn't find the courage to pull the trigger. 

"You can't shoot," Alec said, the laughter tapering off to leave a bemused smirk, "You don't want to kill. And believe me when I say that no one else will hesitate." He reached up and pried the gun from her hands, slipping it back into his pants.

"So I guess we're both lacking," Max replied, watching Alec warily and keeping her hand close to her own gun, though she knew she could never use it, "Together we'd make the perfect solider."

Alec eyed her suspiciously, "Are you suggesting we team up?"

"I was making an observation," Max said, neither denying nor admitting the statement.

"It wouldn't work," Alec said, though it was obvious he was considering the idea.

"It's worth a try," Max argued.

"We'd defiantly have an advantage, "Alec mused, ignoring Max's comments, "We'd be able to rest and we'd have the obvious advantage when we encountered other Xs. 2 vs. 1."

Max nodded becoming more and more hopeful that Alec would consent to the idea. Even if she couldn't completely trust the blonde X5 she hated the idea of doing this alone. 

"I don't know if I trust you enough," Alec continued, unknowingly voicing Max's own concerns, "But I don't trust anyone so I may as well go for it."

Max smiled and held out her hand, "To a temporary truce," she said as he grasped it and gave it a perfunctory shake. 

"I make no pretenses," Alec suddenly warned, "We get to the end trust me when I say that I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Ditto," Max retorted, silently hoping it didn't come to that. Alec was a depraved and twisted person but could she expect any more given his Manticore heritage? She didn't think she could kill him even if he threatened her own life. Maybe it was because she saw a little of herself in him. The scared little girl who had been set loose on a world that wasn't ready for her. A world that was cruel and unreceptive to anything different. Alec was even more used to the organized confines of the Manticore facility. Out in the real world he was confused but here on an island, forced to resort to those basic instincts Manticore had deeply planted in his nature, it was like coming home. The mischievous twinkle she recognized from both Ben and his eyes that had dimmed in the harsh reality of the world was reappearing with a vengeance. His body was a bunch of coiled muscles and he appeared more like a predatory animal than a twenty-year-old man. 

Max saw this transformation and felt a pang of regret, almost whishing she hadn't taken this away from them in the first place. Hadn't destroyed the home where they belonged. Where they fit in. Where they were together. That was suddenly returned to them in the form of a tropical island. And Max hated to admit but she almost felt at home.


End file.
